Gov. Greg Abbott has announced that he is endorsing Katrina Pierson in her runoff election with incumbent Rep. Justin Holland in the race to represent District 33 in the Texas House of Representatives.
The two candidates are currently set to face off in a runoff election on May 28 after Pierson acquired 39.4% of votes cast during the Republican primary last Tuesday. Holland earned 38.8% of the vote. Dennis London came in third in that race after receiving 21.8% of the votes cast.
The governor stated in a press release about his endorsement that Pierson was “a proven, battle-tested conservative who will never stop fighting for the conservative values that help make Texas the land of freedom and opportunity.”
“I know Katrina will work with me to secure our border and put Texas on a pathway to eliminate property taxes for all Texans. I am proud to support Katrina, who stands with the majority of Texans in supporting education freedom for every Texas family. I urge Texans in House District 33 to join me in supporting Katrina Pierson for State Representative,” he added.
Pierson responded to the endorsement in a social media post. She said she was “honored” to have the governor’s support and was prepared to “STOP the invasion, PHASE OUT property taxes, and EMPOWER Texas parents with education freedom!”
School choice is one of the more significant issues setting the two candidates apart from one another. Holland voted in favor of an amendment that stripped school choice from an education spending bill during the last legislative session, stating that he would rather see the state adopt “teacher pay raises and accountability for testing reforms,” as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Endorsements from the governor proved beneficial to some challengers during the Republican primary, as 11 incumbents lost their seats to his pro-school choice picks. Eight incumbents are expected to fight for their seats during the May runoffs, per DX.